Can Sheffield United go from play-off losers to 100-point champions? History is on their side as captains recall fightbacks

And if it sounded harsh when manager Chris Wilder told his players it was up to them to shake off the disappointment of a 2-1 loss to Sunderland, that was how the Black Cats approached it nearly 30 years ago.

In the play-off era, only two teams have failed to win automatic promotion from the second tier after winning 90 points – Sunderland in 1998 and Leeds United last year.

Both had been relegated from the Premier League the previous season, both got to the play-off final, both lost. Both won the title the next season with 100 or more points.

Relegated from the Premier League the previous year, the Blades took 92 – two deducted for past financial fair play infringements – in 2024-25, but had to be content with a play-off final they lost to Tommy Watson’s stoppage-time goal. Now they must look to the Black Cats, and to their West Yorkshire rivals, as inspiration.

Leicester City (1994), Crystal Palace (1997), West Ham United (2005), West Bromwich Albion (2007), Reading (2011), Middlesbrough (2016), Aston Villa (2019) and Brentford (2021) have all won promotion to the Premier League the season after losing the play-off final too.

As captain of the Sunderland team who lost the 1998 game after a 4-4 draw and a dramatic penalty shoot-out with Charlton Athletic, Kevin Ball says the fightback started almost instantly.

Kevin Phillips, who like midfielder Ball scored in the game, recalls his captain standing up in the dressing room and demanding: "What are we going to do now? Are we going to sit, sulk, mope and let it ruin our summer? Or do we learn from it, enjoy our night tonight, get drunk together and when we return from pre-season, this game never gets mentioned?'

As Ball modestly recalls it, the groundwork had already been laid.

"It was intrinsically driven by the players, but it came from the words of (manager) Peter Reid and (assistant) Bobby Saxton," he says.

"I would say the disappointment lasted for the walk back to the changing room and for about 30 seconds where we sat in silence.

"Then it just happened Bobby Saxton made a bold statement about the quality of Michael (Gray)'s penalty and from that moment on, we were all focussed on winning the league in 12 months' time.

"Sometimes the right words can spark another fight in players and after the words said by Reidy, Sacko, Niall (Quinn), me and others we left that changing room and we knew we were going to get promotion the next season.

"It was an absolute beast to lose at Wembley, but sometimes out of defeat comes fight. I will be very surprised if the same doesn't happen with Sheffield United because of the manager there."

And despite Ball, who also scored in the shoot-out, demanding the final never got mentioned again, he says it was always there as they won the title with 105 points in 1998-99.

"A couple of days later we might be sat thinking about it but it never bothered me," he says.

"But I think it was always in the back of our minds the next season. Our goals against was the lowest ever, our points were the highest ever and the Stadium of Light became a fortress."

Leeds showed a similar fight after losing 1-0 to Southampton last year.

"It's important to take this suffering and this disappointment as extra motivation for the future and make sure in the future they have many good days and good evenings to cheer about," said manager Daniel Farke at Wembley.

"I can promise my lads will take this as extra motivation to come back even stronger and make sure one day we have a day that's meant to be and we celebrate."

They did, winning the title with 100 points after a tight-fought race in which Burnley and Sheffield United were extremely hard to shake off.

"The staff and the players felt on the bottom of the world that day because we didn't achieve what we set out to,” captain Ampadu recalled once promotion was secured in April. “To be put that right, albeit a year too late, is a sweet moment.”

"We would be silly if we didn't say that (winning the title) was our target at the start of the season."

Ball cannot remember if he followed the lead of Grant Leadbitter, a player he coached in Sunderland’s academy, after the 2015 final. Then, the Middlesbrough midfielder made himself watch Norwich City celebrations as motivation for the Teessiders' automatic promotion in 2016.

"I can't honestly remember if I stopped to watch the trophy presentation," admits Ball. "I'd like to think out of respect I did but if I didn't it would have been because I didn't want to. If I did it might have been because I wanted to use it as a motivational tool to think, 'I want that feeling they've got up there.’"

Right now, Sheffield United’s players will be going through pain Ball and Ampadu and co will recognise only too well but if the outcome is the same next year, it will all be worth it.